10/09/2026
A few about Wyatt Earp and Lotta Crabtree...
Fun Fact I: In our collection, HLS Library has a deposition of Wyatt Earp (1848-1929), an American lawman and subsequent legend of the "Wild West," perhaps best known for his involvement in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. The deposition references well-known Old West figures such as Doc Holliday and Wyatt's brother, deputy U.S. Marshal Virgil Earp.
Earp was deposed on April 7, 1925, in connection with the Estate of Lotta M. Crabtree (1870-1924), a wealthy American actress. After her death, multiple parties unsuccessfully contested her will, claiming to be her rightful heirs. Earp was deposed due to his acquaintance in Tombstone, AZ, in the early 1880s with her brother Jack Crabtree. You can view the entire 329-page deposition online at https://bit.ly/hlslearp [citation 1].
Fun Fact II: Why was it filed in Massachusetts Probate Court? Because, at the time of Lotta Crabtree's death, she lived in Boston, in the Hotel Brewster (at the corner of Washington and Boylston Streets), which she had purchased in 1909, shortly after it opened [citation 2]. Various obituaries called her one of the richest women in America.
Just days after her death, a probate case was filed with several people laying claim to a portion of her “approximately $4,000,000” [1924 value] fortune, which she left to various charities. Today, her estate would be worth about $78 million [citation 3].
Fun Fact III: Lotta Crabtree also owned land in the Squantum section of the City of Quincy, where several roads are still named for her or her family, including Ashworth, Livesey, Sonoma, and Crabtree [citation 4]. According to the Quincy Historical Society, “all four streets sit squarely upon Squantum property formerly owned by Charlotte [Lotta] Crabtree...
• Ashworth Rd: Appears to have originally been laid out as part of Newland St., but marshland made completion impractical. Compare this with the adjacent Lansdowne, Essex, Deerfield, and Heath Streets.
• Crabtree Rd: Broadly speaking, this road follows the path from Charlotte Crabtree's main house to several other secondary houses, outbuildings, etc. on her property.
• Livesey Rd: More or less follows the path of a driveway, road, or other cleared area along the eastern edge of the property nearest the main house.
• Sonoma Rd: More or less follows the path of a driveway, road, or other cleared area along the northern edge of the property nearest the main house” [citation 5].
We extend special thanks to the for its research assistance.
We hope you found these facts as fun as we did. You never know where your research will take you when you start looking in our collection.
Citation 1: Wyatt Earp Deposition, 1925. Lotta Crabtree Will Case, 1870-1928: Box 12, Folder 6. HOLLIS no. 990006016440203941. Harvard Law School Library Historical & Special Collections.
Citation 2: Map of land owned by Lotta M. Crabtree at the corner of Boylston and Washington Streets. Her residence, Hotel Brewster, was on that parcel, as was the Park Theatre, which she also owned. www.atlascope.org
Citation 3: “Relatives May Break Boston Actress’ Will,” The Reading Eagle, Sept. 30, 1924. Library of Congress. www.loc.gov/collections/chronicling-america
Citation 4: Parcels of land owned by Lotta Crabtree. Branch, E. (1923). Atlas of the city of Quincy, Norfolk County, Massachusetts [Map]. https://collections.leventhalmap.org/search/commonwealth:5x220j25p
Citation 5: Quincy Historical Society correspondence to HLS Library, Oct. 8, 2026.
